No.58 (High Resolution)

ISSN 0912-7402
No.58: December 2013
– Save Water, Save Lakes –
TICAD V Symposium Accelerating the ILBM Process in Africa
ILEC, in affiliation with the Fifth Tokyo
Inter national Conference on Afr ican
Development (TICAD V), organized “The
International Symposium for Integrated
La ke Basi n Ma nagement ( I LBM ) i n
Africa: Accelerating the TICAD Process
through Sound Management of Lakes and
Reservoirs” in Yokohama, Japan, on June
1, 2013. The symposium was funded by
Japan Fund for Global Environment.
This symposium aimed to review the
achievements of the African Lake Basin
Management with Sanitation Challenges
proje ct (A FSA N ), sponsore d by t he
Ministry of the Environment, Japan and
implemented by ILEC to improve water
and sanitation conditions in East African
lakes from 2009 to 2011, and to discuss the
significance and need of promoting the
ILBM Platform Process in Africa.
At this symposium, Dr. Madhav Chitale
from India, the Stockholm Water Prize
Laureate in 1993, gave a keynote speech on
how sustainable management of lakes and
reservoirs could be globally pursued, using
some of the Indian cases as a reference for
African lakes. Case presentations on
Nyanza Gulf of Lake Victoria (Kenya),
Lake Nakuru (Kenya), and Lake Chivero
IN
THIS
ISSUE
(Zimbabwe) were followed
by representative researchers.
Each presentation focused on
the current situations and
issues in their basins,
respectively. Finally, a panel
discussion was organized by
the presenters and invited
experts, including a representative from
United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). The panelists actively discussed
issues and challenges in African lakes,
■ TICAD V Symposium Accelerating
the ILBM Process in Africa
■ ILBM Platform Process is Growing – Part III
■ TWAP Global-Scale Transboundary Lake & Reservoir
Assessment Initiated by ILEC and Its Partners
■ A Letter from Scientific Committee (Senegal)
■ Scientific Journal of ILEC, “Lakes & Reservoirs”
what needs to be done to promote the
sustainable lake basin management in
Africa, and how the ILBM can contribute
to the process, etc.
■ A Report from a Former JICA Trainee (Azerbaijan)
■ My Internship Experience at ILEC
■ Overview of ILEC Activities (April - September 2013)
■ In Memory of Mr. Hiroya Kotani
■ Perugia, Italy: The Venue of
the Fifteenth World Lake Conference
1
ILBM Platform Process is Growing - Part Ⅲ
The Integrated Basin Lake Management
(ILBM) and its Platform Process are being
promoted around the world (Figure 1). As a
sequel to the ar ticles from the previous
Newsletters (No. 56 & 57) that featured
ILBM-based activities in Asia, this issue
introduces three lake basins in East Africa,
namely, Lake Nakuru, Nyanza Gulf-Lake
Victor ia ( Kenya) a nd L a ke Ch ivero
(Zimbabwe). ILEC conducted a three-year
project (2009-2012), known as “AFSAN”,
c om m i s sion e d by t h e M i n i st r y of t h e
Environment, Japan, to introduce the ILBM
approach to improve water and sanitation
conditions in these basins. On June 1 2013,
ILEC organized an international symposium
to follow up the AFSAN project in Yokohama,
Japan in support of TICAD V.
1) Lake Nakuru (Kenya)
Lake Nakuru, a closed and shallow alkaline
lake, famous for flamingos residing in its
basin, is facing a number of issues and
challenges. In the last three years, ILEC has
been working together with local organizations
to promote the ILBM Platform Process to
confront these challenges.
After some consultative visits and field
visits for the AFSAN project in collaboration
with local partners, the Lake Nakuru ILBM
Platform Process was formally launched in
December 2011. In January 2012, the ILBM
steering committee was formalized; Chairman
(Kenya Wildlife Service) and the Secretariat
(Municipal Council of Nakuru) were also
appointed and established, respectively. The
c om m it t e e p r epa r e d t he i n it ia l p ower
point-version of the Lake Nakuru Lake Brief
using the ILEC guidelines. Three participatory
stakeholder meetings were organized to
analyze the Six ILBM Governance Pillars for
the Lake Nakuru basin to initiate the Nakuru
ILBM Platform Process. Currently, eleven key
institutions from governments, NGOs, and
CBOs (Community-Based Organizations) are
joi n i ng toget her to i mp r ove t he ba si n
governance through the ILBM Platform
Process. The participated members committed
to bringing about the results and agreed to
meeting and reporting progress bi-annually.
They proposed both short-term and long-term
act ions to me et t he ch a l lenge s : T he s e
challenges include 1) siltation of the lake and
river sedimentation, 2) poor enforcement of
environmental laws, 3) poor solid waste
management and urban pollution, 4) sewer
blockages/spillage and discharge of untreated
2
Figure 1. Locations of ILBM Case Studies
factory effluent, and 5) poor sanitation in low
income areas.
2) Nyanza Gulf-Lake Victoria (Kenya)
Nyanza Gulf of Lake Victoria is one of the
most polluted areas in the Lake Victoria basin
because it is a shallow inlet, connected to the
main lake only through the narrow Rusinga
Channel (three miles wide).
After a f ield visit and a workshop in
K isu mu du r i ng t he A FSA N proje ct i n
February 2010, the ILBM Platform Process
was initiated with the support of OSIENALA,
a local focal point in Nyanza Gulf of Lake
Victoria. OSIENALA has brought together the
major stakeholders around the Nyanza Gulf,
including schools and colleges, relevant
parastatals such as KEFRI, KEMFRI, KARI,
K FS, loca l author ities, La ke Basin
Development Aut hor it y ( LBDA), La ke
Victoria Environment Management Program
(LVEMP), Lake Victoria Basin Commission,
relevant ministries and CSOs.
This ILBM team is currently working on a
Lake Brief for Nyanza Gulf and implementing
the following activities:
1) Community Conservation Projects
LVEP received funding from the World
Ba n k to implement envi ron menta l
conser vation activities. OSI ENA LA is
supporting community conservation projects
in the southern shores of Lake Victoria to
reduce pollution loads into the lake. The
activities include tree planting, riverbank
protection and capacity building for soil
erosion control by farmers.
2) Integrated Agricultural Practices
In a bid to conserve the fishery resources,
OSIENALA in partnership with Oceantec Ltd.
(USA) has formed the First Source Kenya to
implement this project. The objective is to
improve livelihoods in Homa Bay County. The
project has four main components, namely,
horticulture, fish farming, dairy farming and
safe drinking provision.
3) HOPE-LVB Project
HOPE-LVB is a project dealing with human
and environmental health along the Lake
Victor ia basin. I n t h is project, severa l
livelihood activities are implemented to help
the community members earn a living while
protecting the environment.
3) Lake Chivero (Zimbabwe)
Lake Chivero is the source of drinking
water for the cities of Harare and Chitungwiza.
The lake is hyper-eutrophic with a high level
of nitrogen, phosphorous, and suspended and
dissolved solids. As another critical issue,
sediments continue to reduce the lake’s storage
capacity. The reason for this gloomy scenario
includes inadequate treatment of sewage and
waste water discharged from the cities Harare,
Chitungwiza and Ruwa, non-point source
pollution, inadequate management of solid
wa st e, a n d t h e d e st r u c t io n of n a t u r a l
purification systems.
Possible actions to improve water quality of
Lake Chievero were identified in the five year
process of establishing the ILBM Platform
Process through the collaboration between
I LEC a nd loca l st a keholder g roups. I n
September 2011, ILEC undertook a field
r e s e a r ch i n Z i mba bwe, a nd t h e I L BM
P l a t fo r m P r o c e s s wa s e s t a b l i s h e d i n
December 2011. In March 2012, an interim
committee coordinated by the University of
Zimbabwe was set up and the concept paper
was formulated for improving governance of
Lake Chivero. In July 2012, Green Bridge –
an eco-technological in-situ horizontal
f ilt ration system – was exper imenta lly
installed on the Manyame River by experts
from Shrishti Eco-Research Institute (India)
and the Zimbabwean ILBM team. As it may
ta ke time to fully implement the ILBM
Platform Process there, ILEC continues to
explore various possibilities to support and
encourage local stakeholders to participate in
and contribute to the process.
TWAP Global-Scale Transboundary Lake & Reservoir Assessment
Initiated by ILEC and Its Partners
The Transboundary Waters Assessment
Programme (TWAP) is an international project
funded by the Global Environment Facility
(GEF) to conduct a global-scale assessment of
five major types of transboundary water
systems (Lakes, Rivers, Groundwater, Large
Marine Ecosystems, and Open Oceans) for the
purpose of ranking them in regard to their
degree of vulnerability to human impacts. The
results of this global assessment will provide
the GEF with a means of establishing priorities
i n rega rd to t he most effect ive f und i ng
allocations within its International Waters
portfolio.
After completing an initial medium-size
project focusing on t he development of
assessment methodologies, and in cooperation
w it h t h e Un it e d Na t io n s E nv i r o n m e nt
P r og r a m m e ( U N E P) , I L E C i n it ia t e d a
T WA P-FSP ( Fu l l-Size P roje ct) to ra n k
transboundary lakes and reservoirs, utilizing a
GIS-based spatial and analytical methodology
with relevant indicators. This project is being
pursued in cooperation with the Research
Center for Sustainability and Environment,
Shiga University, Japan and the International
Center for Watershed Studies, Texas State
University, USA.
ILEC has established a Lakes Working
Group to undertake the primary lake and
reservoir component of TWAP. The Lakes
Working Group has made progress in three
major activities:
Activity-1: Preparation for assessment
of transboundary lake basins
●Delineation of the areal boundaries of
approximately 160 GEF-eligible and 50
non-GEF-eligible transboundary lake and
reservoir basins, using GIS-based technique,
combined with remote sensing data and a
digital elevation model;
●Identification of 11 initial indicators to rank
the lake and reservoir basins in regard to
their vulnerability to human activities.
Determining the relative importance of these
indicators is a continuing activity being
conducted on a sub-continental/regional
basis.
Activity-2: Identifying and
characterizing sub-continental/regional
issues and challenges
●Sub-continental/regional GIS overlay maps,
illustrating the hydrologic linkages of the
study transboundary lake and reservoir
basins to nearby transboundary river basins,
groundwater aquifers and large marine
ecosystems, have been prepared on a global
scale;
●Biodiversity hotspots, land degradation, and
land use data also are overlain onto these
sub-continental/regional maps, in order to
highlight water-related issues and to better
characterize each sub-continental/regional
area.
Activity-3: Developing an assessment
framework and analytical methodology
for identifying and assessing global lake
and reservoir basin management needs
●Elaboration of a multi-criteria analytical
methodology, embodied in the Analytic
H iera rchy P rocess (A H P) assessment
framework, for consideration of quantitative
and qualitative ranking criteria;
●Development of a comprehensive questionnaire
to obtain regional/sub-regional-specific data
and information from local experts, and the
ILEC Scientific Committee, as a means of
augmenting relevant lake and reservoir basin
data and filling important data gaps.
General information on the TWAP is available on the TWAP project website (www.geftwap.org), while more detailed information
regarding the transboundary lakes and reservoirs component of TWAP is available on the ILEC website (www.ilec.or.jp) and the
Meadows Center for Water and the Environment website at Texas State University (icws.meadowscenter.txstate.edu/TWAP.html).
3
A Letter from Scientific Committee
Human Pressures on Coastal and Marine
Ecosystems in West and Central Africa
Salif Diop (Senegal)
My present focus and on-going project
to its coast a l populations. T he most
concern a scientific publication on the
important of them are related to critical
overall coastal and marine ecosystems
fish habitat, wood and charcoal from
services and benefits and the impacts that
mangroves as well as space for agriculture,
can affect them when they are submitted to
aquaculture, urban development, tourism
hu m a n a nd n a t u r a l p r e ssu r e s ( la nd
and transport.
degradation upst rea m, sea level r ise
West Africa estuaries in particular when
downstream, salinization and drought
occupied by mangrove ecosystems, play a
impacts phenomena, overexploitation of
significant role in terms of ecological
fisheries resources and mangroves, etc.).
functions, f lood control, groundwater
The regional focus is on West and Central
replenishment, coastline stabilization and
African estuaries that are indeed home of
protection against storms, retention and
significant interactions. Strong biological
export of sediments and nutrients, carbon
productivity that benefits variety of animal
storage capacity, water purification. Such
and plant species, specific habitats such as
hydrological and ecological functions
mangroves, sea grass beds and other sand
explain the various services of mangrove
banks explain number of protected areas,
e cosystems wit h i n such est ua r i ne
exacerbated by population growth in the
parks and other natural reserves that have
environment: they provide benefits to the
coasts. In time of disaster, human and
been created and provide refuge to many
riparian communities who draw significant
property losses within those estuarine
endangered species, including most of the
income from fishing, rice production,
environments are important and deserve
m igrator y birds’ f lyway of West and
tourism, salt extraction and other resources
particular attention.
Central Africa.
activities exploitation, including honey
Ecosystem approach has been adopted
harvesting and medicinal plants.
With the completion of such first project,
I hope that this will constitute a good step
indicating why if we want to deliver
Yet estuaries and other coastal features
that brings together most up-to-date and
sustainable ecosystems services to respond
in West and Central Africa have been
recent information about selected estuaries
to human needs in estuarine environment,
exp er ienci ng severe de cl i ne a nd
and coastal areas, including maps, models,
we have to move into more integration
degradation for some decades. This is
new data and knowledge on recent changes
assessment and management of land, water
particularly due to a series of drought
and evolution and their implications in the
and living resources. Four aspects of the
events, the important climate variability of
management of coastal waters of West and
ecosystems approach will clea rly be
this area and inter-annual variations and
Central Africa. The book, once published,
appearing all along this publication. They
deficits in rainfall that alternate at time
will be used as a documentation source for
are related to providing and supplying
wit h sporad ic f loods. One of t he
preser ving a nd util izing t he coast a l
services, regulating services, supporting
c on s e que nc e s i s t h a t r e s o u r c e s a r e
ecosystems and its environment, and be
services and cultural, recreational and
becoming scarce, biodiversity erodes with
helpful to scientists, foresters, geographers,
ecotourism services. Indeed, as it appears
t hei r negat ive i mpacts on loca l
engineers, gover n ment agencies a nd
in several studies and research programs,
communities and resource dependence is
students dealing with coastal and marine
the overall western and central coasts of
increasing. The adaptive capacities of the
studies and researches.
Africa, including the main estuaries and
local communities − already strained by
deltas, provide series of goods and services
the financial and technical resources − are
Professor Salif Diop is a water specialist with extensive experience in various aspects of coastal oceanography, freshwater
assessment, aquatic and marine issues, sustainable management, and development. He is a member of the National Academy of
Sciences and Techniques of Senegal, the African Academy of Sciences (ASS) and the World Academy of Sciences for the Developing
World (TWAS). Currently, he is teaching at the Doctoral School on Water and Environment, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal,
after working at UNEP - Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) as a Senior Officer for nearly fifteen years.
4
Scientific Journal of ILEC
Lakes & Reservoirs: Research and Management
Table of Contents
Volume 18, Issue 1 (March 2013)
Article Title
Editorial
Featured
Articles
Author(s)
The roles of stakeholders in lake basin management: Fundamental, but
often overlooked (p.1)
Walter Rast
People and ponds: the participatory role of humans in Integrated Lake
Basin Management (pp.3-4)
Jeffrey A. Thornton,
Hebin Lin and Thomas M. Slawski
Creating opportunities for improving la ke -focused sta keholder
engagement: knowledge-action systems, pro-environment behavior and
sustainable lake management (pp.5-14)
Kathleen P. Bell, Laura Lindenfeld,
Ann E. Speers, Mario F. Teisl and Jessica E. Leasy
Lakes, landscapes and locals: Pooling partnership resources to create
sustainable lake catchments (pp.15-25)
John R. Pinder
Stakeholder participation in lake management in Wisconsin (USA)
(pp.27-33)
Jeffrey A. Thornton
Local institutions and lake management (pp.35-44)
Margaret Snell, Kathleen P. Bell and Jessica Leathy
Salient ecological functions of a tropical freshwater wetland (pp.45-51)
Buudhika D. Madurapperruma,
Mala D. Amarasinghe and Peter G. Oduo
River basin organization development in southeastern Wisconsin
(pp.53-65)
Thomas M. Slawski
Protecting in partnership: the Mukwonnago River Basin Protection Plan
(pp.67-80)
Jeffrey A. Thornton,
Thomas M. Slawski and Eric Olson
Participatory and evolutionary integrated lake basin management
(pp.81-87)
Hebin Lin, Jeffrey A. Thornton and Thomas M.
Slawski
Table of Contents
Volume 18, Issue 2 (June 2013)
Article Title
Featured
Articles
Author(s)
Assessment of water quality, macroinvertebrate biomass and primary
productivity of small water bodies for increased fish production in the
Lake Victoria basin, Kenya (pp.89-97)
Steve O. Ngodhe, Phillip O. Raburu,
Geraldine M. Kasisi and Patric O. Orwa
Anthropogenic and climatic influences over the past three centuries on
characteristics of an Adirondack lake, Eastern North America (pp.99-113)
Sharon L. Kanfoush
Spatio-temporal variation of gross CO2 and CH4 diffusive emissions from
Australian reservoirs and natural aquatic ecosystems, and estimation of
net reservoir emissions (pp.115-127)
Julie Bastien and Maud Demarty
Bioavailability of particle-associated nutrients as affected by internal
regeneration processes in the Nyanza Gulf region of Lake Victoria (pp.129-143)
Fredric J. Guya
Lake bathymetry from Indian Remote Sensing (P6-LISS III) satellite
imagery using artificial neutral network model (pp.145-153)
Sheela A. Moses, Letha Janaki, Sabu Joseph,
Jairaj P. Gomathi and Justus Joseph
Bathymetric study of Lake Hayq, Ethiopia (pp.155-165)
Hassen M. Yesuf, Tena Alamirew,
Assefa M. Melesse and Mohammed Assen
Comparing echosounder efficiency using field observations (pp.167-177)
Inigo Everson, Robert Kayanda and Anthony
Taabu-Munyaho
A role for aeration and intake depth in managing toxic Cylindrospermopsis:
A comparison between off-stream and riverine environments in the
Fitzroy Basin, Australia (pp.179-196)
Leigh Stitz, Susan Kinnear and Larelle Fabbro
Spatial distribution and habitat characterization of schistosomiasis host
snails in lake and land habitats of western Kenya (pp.197-215)
Ayub V. Ofulla, Samson O. Adoka, Douglas N.
Anyona, Paul O. Abuom, Diana Karanja, John M.
Vulule, Tom Okrut, Ally-said Matano, Gabriel O.
Dida, Tsuma Jembe and John Gichuki
5
A Report from a Former JICA Trainee
Rovshan Abbasov (Azerbaijan)
A participant of the third JICA training course on Integrated Basin Management for Lake
Environment organized by ILEC in 2008, Dr. Rovshan Abbasov is currently the head of the
Environmental Research Center at Khazar University, the Azerbaijan Republic. The Center is
dedicated to providing advanced scientific information for protection, restoration and
sustainable use of the Caspian Sea resources. He recently published a new book (available at
amazon.com) via Springer Press about his investigations on long-term changes of the Caspian
Sea. Here is part of the story from his book about the historic change of the water level of the
Caspian Sea.
The Caspian Sea is the biggest inland
over the past centuries. Between 1837 and
waterbody in the world, located on the
1931, the sea level fluctuated between -25.5
Eurasian Continent where the South-Eastern
m and -26.8 m (above sea level). The sea
Europe borders Asia. The exploration of rich
level dropped dramatically by 1.7 m in the
time series effect still demonstrates cyclic
oil and gas resources has raised the
next nine years. In 1977, the Caspian Sea
fluctuations. The Caspian Sea case suggests
awareness of the importance of the region
reached its lowest recorded level, -29 m, and
that both the secular long term trend and the
over the last decades.
then started to rise. In 1995, the Caspian Sea
long range cyclic f luctuations may exist
level reached its maximum elevation, -26.5
t oge t h e r i n ge o p hys ic a l p h e n o m e n a .
m, that is, a total rise of 2.4 m since 1977.
Statistical modeling of the fluctuations of the
Due to climatic oscillations, the Caspian
Sea has significant water level fluctuations.
Dr. Rovshan Abbasov
Instrumental observations over the Caspian
The time series data in the Caspian Sea
water level may be performed by combining
Sea water level were carried out during the
water level fluctuations seems to indicate
a long term trend component with a memory
period of 1837 to 2010. According to the
both a long term secular trend and a long
component to show inter-relationships
analysis of these observations, there is a
range of cyclic f luctuation. Even after
between various phases of the time series
great extent of change in the levels of the sea
removing the long term trend, the residual
over a long period of time.
My Internship Experience at ILEC
Nyasha Dumba (Zimbabwe)
I carried out my three week internship at ILEC in September 2013. I am a master’s
student major ing in Water and Waste Management at the Graduate School of
Environmental Studies, Nagoya University.
It was a great experience working at
t he c ond it ion of ou r la ke s is a t r ue
ILEC. During my internship, I got to
reflection of human activities. Mirrors do
understand why and how ILEC promotes
not lie; most of the la kes worldwide
sustainable management of lakes and their
showing signs of degradation only reflect
basins. As I learnt more about the ILBM
our lifestyles.
concept and the ILBM Platform Process,
Z i m b a bwe i s fa c i ng d e e p - r o o t e d
the relevance of their work dawned on me.
cha llenges in rega rds to proper la ke
Water is vital for our survival. Lakes in
management. Lake Chivero, the main
this sense are extremely important storing
supplier of water to t he capita l cit y,
accordingly. I learnt that a management
a round ninety percent of the world’s
Harare, is highly polluted due to untreated
plan is only half the story, the governance
accessible freshwater.
sewage, industrial eff luents,
aspect is t he ot her ha lf t hat is of ten
neglected but very crucial.
The theme of the upcoming Fifteenth
agro-chemicals and urban runoff. Lake
World Lake Conference describes lakes as
Chivero is Harare’s mirror and in order to
“mirrors of the earth”. I understand that
change its conditions, we have to act
6
Ms. Nyasha Dumba
T H A N K YO U I L E C F O R T H E
WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY.
Overview of ILEC Activities (April - September 2013)
April 7 Delegation from Laguna Lake Development Authority and
University of the Philippines visits ILEC【PIC ❶】
September 2-20 A Zimbabwean graduate student from Nagoya
University interns at ILEC【PIC ❹】
May 10 President of University of Guanajuato visits ILEC
4 Members of the Fukushima Prefectural Assembly visit ILEC
13-16 The Transbounadary Water Assessment Programme (TWAP)
6 JICA commissioned training program: “ILBM for Lake
- Full Size Project kicks off: Lake Group Inaugural & 1st Expert
Group Meeting (Kusatsu)【PIC ❷】
Environment” kicks off (Concluded on Nov.1)【PIC ❺】
12 Students from Ritsumeikan University visit ILEC
June 1 TICAD V partnership project: “The International
13-14 Participation at the 4th International Conference of the
SATOYAMA Initiative (Fukui)
Symposium for ILBM in Africa” (Yokohama)
11 Students from Osaka Kyoiku University visit ILEC
July 8-11 TWAP Southeast/East Asia Expert Seminar & 2nd
Expert Group Meeting (Kuala Lumpur / In collaboration with
16-18 The Fifteenth World Lake Conference Preparatory Meetings
and Special Workshops (Rome, Perugia and Castiglione del Lago
/ In collaboration with USMA)【PIC ❻】
17 Malawian government officials visit ILEC
NAHRIM)
13-16 Consultative field visits to Indonesian lake basins (Bogor,
19-22 TWAP 3rd Expert Group Meeting focused on the West
Jatiluhur, and Jakarta / In collaboration with LIPI).【PIC ❸】
Africa, North Europe & Mediterranean Sea regions (Perugia)
August 12 Thai National Mekong Committee Secretariat visits
21-25 Panel exhibition at the Shiga-Biwako Brand Expo (Osaka)
ILEC
PIC ❶
PIC ❷
PIC ❸
PIC ❹
PIC ❺
PIC ❻
Mr. Hiroya Kotani, former Executive Director of ILEC passed away on May 13,
2013 at the age of 74. Professor Saburo Matsui, a dear colleague and a Member of
the ILEC Board of Trustees forwarded the following eulogy.
In Memory of Mr. Hiroya Kotani
Member of ILEC Board of Trustees, Saburo Matsui
It was all too sudden that Mr. Hiroya Kotani
passed away. I still cannot get over this loss.
Mr. Kotani was a person who genuinely loved
Lake Biwa. His eyes were always directed to
the natural environment of the lake. Then his
thoughts were extended to caring about the
environmental protection of the whole Lake
Biwa basin, including the agricultural and
other industrial activities therein.
M r. Kotani has played a key role as a
leading member of the administrative staff in
disseminating information on Lake Biwa and
its environmental conservation activities to the
world. These included the organization of the
First World Lake Conference, which led to the
establishment of ILEC, and inviting UNEP’s
International Environmental Technology
Centre to Osaka and Shiga Prefecture.
I became involved in Lake Biwa research as
a member of the environmental assessment
committee of the North-Eastern Lake Biwa
Sewage Works Plan in 1982. Then, I started
working with him, first as a member of the
organizing committee of the First World Lake
Conference held in 1984, then as Secretary of
the ILEC Scientific Committee in 1987, under
the guidance of the Chairperson, the late Dr.
Tatsuo Kira. On the occasion of inviting the
©The Kyoto Shimbun Newspaper Co., Ltd
UNEP Centre to Shiga Prefecture, Mr. Kotani
and I went to Nairobi together to participate in
the UNEP Governing Council.
It was very informative for me to exchange
views and opinions about Lake Biwa with Mr.
Kotani because the greater part of my research
has targeted Lake Biwa. We will miss a great
witness who can tell the environmental history
of Lake Biwa. I wish I could have talked more
with him about the future of Lake Biwa. May
he rest in peace.
7
Perugia, Italy: The Venue of the Fifteenth World Lake Conference
Somewhere in the middle of bucolic
green in the Umbria Region, there stands
Perugia (PIC ❶). This beautiful hill town
has been the center of the region since the
ancient times. One of the oldest remains
that tells its origin is the Etruscan town
walls (PIC ❷) built about 2,500 years
ago. It is said that the Etruscans settled in
the area because of the rich water resource
of the region. Other attractions that we
cannot miss are the iconic landmark in the
main street, Fontana Maggiore (PIC ❸)
and the thirteenth century aqueduct (PIC
❹&❺), now is a promenade, originally
built to bring the water up to the fountain
located at the higher altitude of the town.
Just walking around the old district, you
will find medieval wells (PIC ❻) and
drinking fountains (PIC ❼) in every
other cor ner. This histor ical town of
Perugia is hosting the Fifteenth World
L a ke C o n fe r e n c e ( W L C15) f r om
September 1 to 5, 2014. We look forward
to meeting you there!
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* Please stay tuned and visit the Conference website (www.wlc15perugia.com) for the coming updates!
** The WLC15 First Announcement is available on the above website.
INTERNATIONAL LAKE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE FOUNDATION (ILEC)
1091 Oroshimo-cho, Kusatsu-city Shiga 520-001, JAPAN
Tel:+81-77-568-4567 / Fax:+81-77-568-4568 /
Website: www.ilec.or.jp / Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilec.english
*The latest issue and back issues of this newsletter are also available on our website above.
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